Frank is the son of Mars and a mortal military soldier, Emily Zhang. From his mother, he is a descendant of Periclymenus, who was the grandson of Poseidon and a member of the Argonauts. He was blessed by the god with the power to shift into any kind of animal from human form. In the absence of his immortal father, Frank's grandmother helped to raise him after his mother died in a military accident.
Frank combined his ancestral gift with the powers that he inherited from his divine parent. As such, he was considered to be dangerously powerful, and it was decreed that he would have a short life. At the night of his birth, Juno appeared to his family and pointed out a piece of timber in the hearth, warning that if it was burned entirely he would die.
His grandmother gave him the piece of firewood when she knew that he would soon be leaving to go to Camp Jupiter. Lupa and her wolf pack arrived at the Zhang Mansion and he went through the usual process of proving his strength at the Wolf Manor. Frank arrived at Camp Jupiter about a month after Jason Grace disappeared and was still on Probation when Percy Jackson arrived. When Frank arrived at Camp, his grandmother instructed him to go to the Praetor and tell her that his great-grandfather was Shen Lun and to beg forgiveness for what Shen Lun did, though she refused to tell him what he did. When Frank arrived at camp, he went to Reyna and did as he was instructed. Reyna told him she judged people by their own merits, not what their ancestors did. However, she did tell him not to mention Shen Lun to the other Campers at Camp Jupiter, as they'd be less forgiving than her.
Frank has a large and stocky frame. He is Asian-Canadian and has a babyish face with brown eyes and black short hair which, Percy states, seems out of place with his stout body and military haircut. He is also described, by Hazel, as looking like a Koala bear with muscles. His Camp Jupiter tattoo is composed of an image of two crossed spears above the initials SPQR and a single bar line beneath, given to him as a requirement for centurionship, despite the fact that he had not been a part of Camp Jupiter for an entire year.
Frank is somewhat cynical and pessimistic due to personal clumsiness and his low self-esteem. However, he tempers these more negative traits with a strong sense of duty and loyalty. In addition, Frank is courageous and a natural battlefield commander.
Archery: Frank's weapon of choice is a bow and arrow. Being the son of Mars, the war god, he is extremely accurate and masterful in shooting. It is still unknown whether he is good or not in using other weapons, although given that children of Mars/Ares are weapon experts then Frank more than likely is proficient in using other weapons.
Tactician: Frank has been shown to have great skill in battle planning and leadership. It is also the gift that Marsgave him.
Shape-Shifting: Frank has the limited ability to change into any animal he wishes, mythical or real. However this ability is easier to use during times of danger and battle or if he knows the animal well. The animal itself is also much stronger if Frank knows it well. Frank has so far turned into an elephant, an eagle, a grizzly bear, a weasel, seal, a dragon, a crow, an iguana, a snake, a koi goldfish, and a dolphin.
Frank's Spear: A gift from the god Mars, before Frank left on his quest. The spear is tipped with a dragon tooth, allowing Frank to summon the spartusGray. The spear however only had three charges so that Frank had enough time to learn his family gift. After the third charge was used, the spear vanished.
Arrows: Being a skilled archer, Frank managed to design different kinds of arrows for different functions. For example, his Hydra Arrows could string together enemies, tying them up or pinning them to walls. Frank also carries around Imperial Gold arrows in case of monster attacks.
'Gorgon Blood before Percy used the vials of blood in a bet with Phineas, Frank carried around two bottles of Gorgon Blood, one of them healed while the other killed. Frank picked up the vials after Percy killed the Gorgons. While Frank wanted to use them to prevent his life stick from burning, Percy thought that he picked them up because he didn't want Percy to be seen carrying poison into Camp Jupiter.
Burned Stick: Because Frank is too powerful, being the son of Mars and being a descendant of Poseidon, Frank's life is connected to a piece of fire wood. If the stick ever burns up, Frank will die. Frank gave the stick to Hazel Levesque as he was told giving it to someone he trusts could prolong his life. The stick burns with the fire of life, allowing Frank to melt the chains that held death.
Without a doubt, Frank is head over heels in love with this daughter of Pluto. Their common ground stems from them both being outcasts and understanding what little there is tying one another to life. She thinks he is funny and even mentioned that he makes a very handsome elephant. They even kiss right after the battle against Alcyoneus in Alaska. Hazel knows about Frank's secret about the piece of wood that his life depends on. Frank even trusts Hazel enough to give the piece of wood to her for safekeeping. Also when Hazel takes Frank into a blackout and he was shown what Hazel would have looked like if she had lived the first time, he said to Hazel that she was going to grow into a beautiful woman before blushing. It is likely they have started a relationship.[]
Frank's relationship with his father is a complicated one. His father obviously cares about him, and feels immense pride in his son, though Frank is somewhat put off by his father, both for his boasting of Frank and his skill and for Mars being the God of War since Frank lost his mother to war. However, Frank slowly comes to accept that he is the son of the war God, and is given not only a spartus summoning spear, but his mother's favorite book: The Art of War, by Sun Tzu. Mars encourages his son to use his mind in a battle rather than pure guts.
Percy and Frank have a very brotherly relationship. They are both related through Periclymenus, though Percy would be Frank's "Great a thousand times" Uncle. When Percy tries to explain this to Tyson, he caves and says that Frank is his brother. Throughout The Son of Neptune, Percy and Frank remain good friends, and Percy is constantly supporting Frank and making him feel better about himself.
Frank is a name derived from a spear that was used by a Germanic people of the same name.
Zhang (張) comes from the Chinese word for "Bow-maker," as well as "Master of bows." It is the third most common Chinese name and can also be written as Chang, Jang, Cheung, or Chong (which all above is written as "張"). Zhang is also used as a first name in China.
Frank has both Roman and Greek lineage because his ancestor is Poseidon, a Greek god, and his father is Mars, a Roman god.
Among the seven heroes, he is one of three, along with Hazel Levesque (Cajun French) and Leo Valdez(Spanish & Morse code), who speaks a language not inherent from their respective godly parents, because Frank can speak Canadian French.
He is apparently an exception among demigods as he is diagnosed with neither ADHD nor Dyslexia. Instead he is lactose-intolerant.
His favorite meal for breakfast is a poached egg and bacon on toast with a glass of orange juice.
Like the Greek hero Meleager, his life force is connected to a piece of wood and he will die if it is ever completely burned.
The ogres at Grandma Zhang's house who wanted to eat Frank to gain his powers may be a reference to the Chinese legend the "Journey to the West" (西遊記) where monsters and demons wish to eat the flesh of main character Xuanzang (唐三藏) to gain immortality.
His name is a reference to the weapons he uses, the spear and bow. Frank is a name that originated from the Germanic tribe called the Franks, who got their name from the type of spear they used. Also in Chinese, the last name Zhang can mean archer or drawing a bow.
He's related to Percy Jackson through his mother, Emily, as her family descends from Periclymenus—a grandson of Poseidon.
Frank is the only known character that is a demigod, but also a legacy.
Frank is also the only known demigod to not be born in the United States, the country the gods currently live in, as he was born in Vancouver, Canada.
Before he was claimed by Mars, he hoped that Apollo would claim him.
Frank was the only demigod who in The Son of Neptune did not have strange demigod dreams.
In The Son of Neptune it says that Frank has a flat-topped wedge haircut, but in his official picture he has a crew cut.
Vitellius told Frank that his archery was unmanly but this is very inaccurate as battlefield archery only went out of practice after Rome fell in the 5th century. Until then Rome created some of the best mounted bow like catapults (ex. the Balista).
